The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-07-08

III
rules to be followed by beginners. There
is a personal pledge sent out containing
the ten words, the five rules, and other
matter, as follows, which Is signed and
aent to Melvil Dewey, Secretary Of the
Spelling Reform Association, at Columbia
College, New York: aa9 lflg3 "a
hereby CIV my name to be used in the
list OF advocates Of spelling reform, and
agreeto adopt for general use the smpli.
fed spellinga indicated by the number
following my signature. The numbers
rignifv:-I will t5lFI ]. ~.
1. Use the eimplifed forms allowed by
standard dictionaries, as program, favor,
2. Use the Two Words: tho, thru.
3. Use the Ten Words: 4 tho, thru,
wiaht, catalog, deinit, hay, Civ, liv, gard,
ar. ~ tsgE ID
A. Use the Two Rulea: |. Use + for ph
bounded as J, as in a!fabet. jlntom, flosoty,
etc. 9. Uee for d or ed final sounded Hs
I, as in fat, tip, siopl, cIasl, crost, distrsst,
etc. Y i5gl - d.. '-ss'a
s Use the Five Rules: Land 2 as in
four. 8. Drop from digraf ca sounded as
short c, as III he'd, helth, sted, etc. 4. Drop
silent e final In short syllable, as in hal,
Civ, liz, Jorbad, rtpta, hoslil, engin, infnit,
oopposit, dcltp, etc. .. When word unda
in dubl letter. omit the last, as in Cd, ad,
stct, stf, stuff eg, shal 1uil, tel, wel, dull, pas,
mes, mis-, los, tus, etc. i5E5i 8. n
6. Use the q Joint Rules OF the Ameri-
can and English Pathological Associs-
tons. is7' al ~
Z Use all changes recommended by the
Pathological Associations.
The rules ar brief; changes that suggest a
1vrong pronunciation ar excepted. Ful in.
formation on request. y
Many persons have become interested
In the reform in this and similar Ways.
It is related Of Chicago business man
that he became convinced OF the inertia Of
the aimplified spelling sufficiently to send
Tor documents, and after. reading them he
gave Instructions to all who were in his
employment that any words spelled &C.
cording to tho simpler form would be re-
cognized ns correct in all his Ie,ters. 1t
has been found necessary to introduce the
thin end OF the wedge in this way, and 1t
ls not expected that any great change will
be seen Tor perhapB q generation. It ia
necessary to convice people that no ga
credness inheres in the present forms Of
English words, but rather that the npell.
ing is irregular, often in defiance OF rules,
and at beat the cause Of years Of wasted
time in the education Of children and Il
hindrance In the spread OF Christianity
and OF English civilization. These iacte
arc indisputable to any one who looka
into the proole, and it is marvel to,t think
that we have tolerated 10 long as we have
these ridiculous forms. II there ia any.
whero legitimate field for ridicule it il
| in expoaing the weakness Of the current
| Epgliuh spelling. 80 there is q vitality in
the reform thst appeals to men's reason
and to their intolerance Of What meyer
ought to be borne. Hence the reform Ii
sure to 20 forward till 1t ia everywhere re-
cognizsd and our present combination OF
silent letters AID exceptions to simple
rules are consigned to The pass Nth
ahonour," ''publick," and like forms
which We are through with. y z J, d
A few newspapers OF prominence have
been friendly to the reform for years
Among thesa arc mentioned the Chicago
Tribune, the Utica Herald, the New Yorl:
Evening Post, and the Springfield Repul
lican. Only a few words haye been usec
in the shorter form, but the tendency o.
such use ia to make the public familiar
with them. People arc not shocked now
when they see program" instesd o
programme" The Springfield Republic
can and the Chicago Tribune have iol
years used "catalog" and "harsng." Bn.
these beginnings are no more reasonable
than tho forms contained in tho pledge
given above, and when the practical con
sideration Is added that our present out
rageous spelling causes a waste OF two
or three years in the education Of every
child in the public schools and all an
nualsquandering ofSl00. 000. 600 in printing
and writing silent letters which are o
very slight advantage after they have beer
thus cxtravagantly saved, it seems aB
the progress of the reform weuld b.
speedy. ( Once give the new forms a SURF
standing in 3 few leading newspaper ant
they would be adopted by many omnlle
papers. Local school authorities woult
sanction their use, and the popular con
servatism would slowly yield. i But th
persistent nature Of the opposition may bt
estimated from the clinging habit to thi
day Of reckoning money in shillings AM
pence, and the preference OF a few peopl
for the English spelling ''our" in ,"hon
our" and similar words. II is the hope Q
tho relormers that the newspapers vii
carry still further the work they have be
gun and that the popular common Bene
will adopt their spelling. 4. Z 9y &. III
4 }l!Another move III contemplation is II
persuade college authorities 10 recogniz
the simpli6ed spelling alter certain date
by common agreement. In Yale, Hal
ward, and leading institutions Of tn
| West and South are well.known educator
who are either active sharers in this worl
or who sympathize with It. 1t should b.
not q difficult matter to procure through
their influence at least a liberation Of tn
simpler spelling, even II it ia not prefer
rod. Is The fact that no one Of the worker
in this reform can make anything out {
!. 4 personally, and that all they do is 10
the public good, ought to commend then
to the people. si5s$8i ~ ~
"a practical step for the new spelliu
will soon DO taken in the publication b
Henry Holt oftNewi York, Of, 8 5,volum
containing the forms which arc approve
+ by the Spelling Reform Association Pro
F. a.. March, Of Lafayette College, Pres
dent Of the Association, has revised til
4 work. in company with others, and it wi
DO Of material help. The new magszir
z will also apread information, will iami
I iarize tho reader with tho shorter formsj
I words, and will supply arguments ar
9 illustrations against the present syster
d The one point Of insistence with educate
r people 5swho resist any n change b,
d the lavalns OF the = present forms ri
IS etymology. t5 The 4 magazine N propos
y 10 meet the objecsors on their own groul
n and to chow that the simpler forms a
Il not as destructive ARCHAEOLOGICAL value
y is asserted. { This magazine will be ke